The Sleeping Sword
by there's no time
Summary: The Star Dragon sword has been cursed by a strange force on an even stranger island, and not even the team of Flik and Viktor can fix the mess they're in.
1. Chapter One

Author - TheresNoTime@aol.com  
  
Rating - PG  
  
Classification - adventure  
  
Spoilers - maybe a little bit of SII. if you haven't played the games, this will probably make no sense.   
  
Summary -The Star Dragon sword has been cursed by a strange force on an even stranger island, and not even the team of Flik and Viktor can fix the mess they're in. The two must enlist old friends to get to the bottom of the mystery - and many more twists and turns await.  
  
Written: December 19, 2002 - ?  
  
Dedication: To all Suikoden Fanfiction writers and readers!  
  
Note: I hear that Suikoden IV will be based in an island setting as this is, but I don't know anything more about the new game, and this is not a spoiler of that game and I have no foreknowledge of events in it.  
  
CHAPTER ONE:   
  
Flik brought the boat forward through the silent sea. A heavy fog hung around him, muting the blue in his cape and bandana to silver. There were no sounds, not even of birds, as the fog pressed in on all his senses. Breathing took effort. Suddenly the sound of another oar being moved through the water reached his ears. Flik put his hand on his weapon, concealed behind his cape.   
  
A shadowy figure appeared in the silhouette of the boat ahead, and Flik gently knocked the bottom of his own boat with his oar to alert the hidden figures within. He did not check to see if they heard, instead placing the oar on the bottom of the boat and maneuvering his body to the best ambush position he could.   
  
The man in the other boat appeared not to see him, and Flik drifted towards the boat as it gradually drew near. It would be a tremendous battle, but Flik had come well prepared with his friends, the bodyguard Oulan, and the archer Ayda, both brought in anticipation of this moment and many more future conflicts. But for now, Flik concentrated on the task at hand, bringing his weapon to his side and at the ready...  
  
Suddenly from above Flik came the cry of a hawk, leading the shadowy man in the boat ahead to turn around and give out a shout upon seeing Flik.   
  
"NOW!" Flik hollered, and from the hidden foundations of the boat arose the heads of his two companions. Flik grabbed his own weapon - a bailing bucket full of the briniest, brownest lake water he could find - and dumped it all over the enraged figure in the boat before him. Immediately Flik retreated as far as he could from the now soaking wet and muddy Viktor, choking all the while on his laughter.   
  
"But Flik," Ayda said, her bucket in hand but unused, "Where is Viktor's shipmate?"   
  
"Look ou--" But before Flik could finish, a hand reached up from the water behind him and dragged him under. Flik could hear Viktor's laughter even while struggling below the surface of the lake. The hands released him and Flik made a break for air, reaching the top, choking, no longer on laughter but water, glaring at Viktor while adjusting his soaked bandana as it drooped in his eyes.   
  
"I should have known..." he mumbled, then looked around to see who had pulled him under.   
  
Flik was struck silent by the figure treading water before him. It was Tir McDohl, the now-reclusive former Liberation Army leader, partaking in a bit of horseplay. Of course Flik knew McDohl better than many people, people who thought of the leader only in the visage of the statue erected of him which stood impressive in Gregminster's hallowed halls. Yet Flik had witnessed the transformation of the young boy into a full-fledged legend, and it was a strange kind of comfort that washed over him to see the care-heavy Tir laughing as heartily as the others around them.   
  
And Gremio must be here too, Flik thought, and caught a glimpse of him in Viktor's boat, patiently waiting for them to continue on with their errands.  
  
"It's good to see you again, Flik," Tir said. Flik nodded in assent and soon turned away to climb back into his boat, helped aboard by the strong arm of Oulan so as not to make any more dents in his already decreased pride.   
  
Remembering old allegiances and the time that had passed, Flik was quiet as the rest of the companions paddled to shore, introducing new faces along the way. But as they approached shore he somberly interrupted the carousing of the others.  
  
"No, no, not there," he said. "That's no good." He pointed to the clearing they had been heading for. "Too many ants. Keeping paddling, there's a better place just a little further down."  
  
"So you've been out here before, Flik?" Ayda asked as she bent her back to adjust her course.  
  
"Certainly," he replied. "A long time ago, it seems. There's a wooden totem that marks the spot. Keep your eye out for it." They found the clearing Flik remembered and landed their boats. Oulan built a fire, while the others put up tents to sleep under for the night. Gremio began to cook the evening meal. Soon enough they were all gathered around the fire to dry off and get warm, laughing and chatting, at home in the elements as the sun sank below the horizon. Dragonflies whirred busily over the surface of the lake in the twilight.   
  
As the meal ended, Gremio interrupted the merriment with a question he'd asked many times since being sought and led out here by Viktor, along with his Young Master. When Viktor had showed up in Gregminster, Gremio took his coming as nothing but an ill omen. When he'd asked for them both to come along on a strange journey for a reason he wouldn't explain, the Young Master had agreed to go with no question.   
  
That immediately sealed Gremio's answer as well. But now that they had sailed up the river and met Flik at this appointed spot, where he had also assembled some help, Gremio was eager for answers.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I'd rather not get into it til tomorrow," Flik responded, all eyes on him in expectation. "You'll find out soon enough, until then let's all just relax. How often do we get to be care-free, really?" Although Gremio was not satisfied and worried about the safety of the Young Master, he deferred to Flik and Viktor's decision. He couldn't imagine either of them putting anyone in needless danger.   
  
"Anyway, you have nothing to fear," Viktor stated as he munched on a piece of bacon. "As long as I'm around, there's no room for danger."  
  
"Only because the size of your inflated ego leaves room for nothing else," Oulan broke in, eyes glittering from the firelight, and the rest of the group laughed.   
  
That night, Oulan fulfilled on her promise to Ayda that she would teach her how to braid, a promise she had made on the way to meet Viktor as they had traveled down the river early in the day.   
  
"Thank you for teaching me," Ayda told her after the lesson. "I've just been twisting it all up the best I could but it always came loose and distracted me from getting a good shot."  
  
"That's all right," Oulan said as she tied Ayda's new braid tightly. "I learned long ago to keep it short. Less of a problem then."  
  
"Next our little warrior will be wearing make-up and dresses," Viktor laughed.   
  
Ayda awkwardly grinned. "I hope it doesn't come to that."  
  
Soon after, Flik withdrew from the fire, sitting alone at the edge of camp, sharpening his sword with head bent. Laugher from behind him echoed off the trees.   
  
Viktor kept an eye on him.  
  
One by one each snuck away to sleep for the coming day's journey. Soon Flik was the only one left, and he moved towards the fire. He began picking at it with a stick. The embers weren't giving off much heat and, from the gloom of his tent, Viktor observed that Flik was visibly shivering. Viktor gathered up his warm blanket, glancing towards Master McDohl's tent to check that he was sound asleep. He meandered over to the fire, threw the blanket over Flik's back, and sat down with a heavy thump on the trodden ground next to his companion. Frogs sang loudly from the shore of the lake beyond them.  
  
"Frogs keeping you awake?" Flik mumbled at Viktor. "I don't know how anyone can sleep through that racket..."  
  
"I don't mind. It means these woods and this lake are flourishing, since the frogs live on the land and the water. The more frogs, the more healthy things are out here. They survive . . . life goes on."  
  
"Humph." Flik waved his hand dismissively.  
  
"I think I know what you've been thinking about lately," Viktor began. Flik turned towards Viktor and gave him a stunned, cold look. Viktor just stared back unflinchingly.  
  
"No one can ever replace Odessa, Flik," Viktor told him, smiling at unknown memories. "But I know you see it - I do too. There are reminders. Her strength, or a place like this with her memory in it ... and her kindnesses too."  
  
"Why did you bring him here?!" Flik said hysterically. "If I could do it, Viktor..." He knew it was impossible. But sometimes he dared to think of it.  
  
"You won't do it," Viktor reassured him. His voice was unsteady. Flik pulled his knees to his forehead and buried his closed eyes into his crossed arms as they burned with sudden, stinging tears.   
  
"You can't kill McDohl just for his rune. No matter how much in your desperation you think it would bring you closer to her..."  
  
"Shut up," Flik stated sharply, and he threw off the blanket and began to stand. Viktor stood too. Flik had not yet sheathed his sword, and the metal sang as he brought the blade up as if to challenge Viktor to try and stop him. Viktor only watched impassively. Flik crossed the little clearing near McDohl's tent. He sighed and stared at his sword. Its light shined crisply in the darkness. He sheathed the weapon quickly and made for his own tent, where he surrendered to the cold ground.   
  
Sitting back down, Viktor tended the fire, bringing it back up to its previous strength. When he thought Flik was asleep, or just passed out from exhaustion, he moved silently to his friend's tent and put the blanket back over him. Then he returned to the fire to wait for the sunrise.  
  
The next morning as Flik awoke, he peered through bleary eyes towards the center of camp and saw Viktor and Oulan whispering as they began breakfast. Their stifled laughter at some joke of Viktor's made him smile a bit, and he crawled out from under the tent. The cold greeted him as he untangled himself from the blanket and picked it up.  
  
"Good morning," Oulan said to Flik, and Viktor nodded to him. Flik nodded back.   
  
"You two are up early," Flik said, smiling wryly. He folded up the blanket and gave it to Viktor. The fog had lifted; breathing was easier. The day was spread before him, reflected in the glassy waters of the lake. "Let's see where the day takes us." 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Breakfast had ended and their camp had been taken down. Viktor finished early and was kneeling down at the lakeshore, bent over his reflection in the water. With a small knife he was shaving off the previous day's stubble. He dipped the knife in the water to clean it off, one hand pressed into the cool sand as he balanced his bulk over the water.   
  
He brought the knife back up to his throat and moved upwards towards his chin, catching the reflection of his own eyes in the water as it settled. It wasn't often he saw himself. The hollows and lines around his eyes were deeper than he remembered. Yet he had few furrows where his laugh lines should be. A sudden wind stirred the water into ripples, and the reflection disintegrated.  
  
"What are you looking at with such interest?" a voice asked from behind him. Viktor turned to see Tir at the top of a small bank above the lake.  
  
"Shouldn't you be getting ready to go?" Viktor asked him back.  
  
"Gremio insists on doing all the work," Tir laughed. "Plus I'm not even sure where we're going in the first place, so I haven't got a whole lot of incentive. There isn't much that surprises me anymore, so whatever adventures you've planned, I think I'm ready."  
  
Viktor finished shaving and half walked, half climbed up the bank to where Tir stood. "From down there, you looked like that statue they have of you in Gregminster. You have seen that thing, haven't you?"  
  
"Yeah. Pretty flattering, if unnecessary."   
  
"You know, you haven't seemed to have changed a bit since the end of that war," Viktor said. "It's been a few years, but you've still got that youthful look you had back before. . ." Viktor trailed off.   
  
"I don't even have to shave. I wonder if I'll ever have to."   
  
"Time marches on," Viktor said. "At least, for most of us." Silence hung between them. Gremio suddenly came huffing and puffing up.  
  
"Everything is ready. So *now* can you explain why you summoned all of us here?" Gremio prompted.   
  
"I guess it's time," Flik said, overhearing. Everyone gathered around the remains of the campfire. Mourning doves began to coo in the trees behind them.  
  
Viktor began. "Some of you may have noticed that the Star Dragon sword isn't as talkative as usual," he said as he crossed towards his tent. He brought out a bundle, and as he unfolded it, he revealed the sword. But instead of a strangely human face looking back at them, there was only an eyeless, featureless mold of stone.   
  
Ayda was the first to speak. "What happened to him?"   
  
"Someone put a curse on him while we were on an island called Ikavah," Viktor replied.  
  
"I've heard of Ikavah," Tir McDohl said. Everyone turned towards him. "My father..." He glanced at Gremio, who only nodded. "My father stayed there a few times on various campaigns. They have many strange customs. Their government is a monarchy, yet their people are really very lawless compared to the cultures we are accustomed to."  
  
"Yes, that's right," Flik said. "Which is why Viktor wanted to go there after we were roaming the countryside following the last great war against Highland."  
  
"It wasn't what we expected. I thought it would be a nice vacation..." Everyone gave him confused looks, except Flik, who only sighed. "What?! It's an island, right? But the way it turned out was not as I had imagined. Sit down and I'll tell you what happened."   
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
The ground began to crack as the rumbling increased. Flik jumped up and grabbed a handy table leg, then used it to balance against as he slid under the table to avoid being hit by falling pieces of ceiling. Viktor held his beer stein above his head as if it would keep him safe from all harm, the expression on his face between shock and drunken stupor. Everyone in the bar turned towards them and laughed at their reactions to the slight earthquake moving through the island.   
  
As the tremors ceased, Flik crawled out from under the table, asking "What was THAT?" He stood up and began to brush dust off of his clothes.  
  
"Have you never felt the power of the god of fire?" a woman said, cutting through the laughter. Flik's level stare at her betrayed no answers. She went on, her face hidden by a shadow from a hood.   
  
"On this island, the mountains speak," she said. "They react to the whims of the fire god, whose power to destroy all of us is quelled only by the people's constant sacrifices."   
  
She stood and walked towards Flik. He sat and drank from his pint, never taking his eyes off of her sword arm. She was dressed in a finer clothing than the other patrons of the bar, but for the longsword at her side, a weapon not commonly used in these islands. As she approached, her features were lit by the candle on their table, her hood not concealing the wisps of black hair framing her forehead. Blues eyes gazed out like pools of deep blue gleaming in the candlelight. She wore strange gauntlets on her forearms, of shimmering cobalt. Beneath them her skin was alabaster white.   
  
The bar returned to its normal background noise of chatter and clanking glasses as the excitement ended.   
  
"Who are you?" Viktor asked dismissively.  
  
"They call me Noelani. I am an emissary for the kingdom of Ikavah's most beloved oracle," she said, and slid into a chair with a quick, delicate movement. "You are Viktor-" she indicated him with a slight movement of her slender fingers, which were tattooed with a midnight blue patterned design that ran up into her sleeve "- and you are Flik, and neither of you belong here."  
  
Flik and Viktor exchanged looks.   
  
"Do you have anything else more interesting to say?" Viktor asked. "Because my friend and I are on vacation from two very long, tiring, challenging campaigns against various insurmountable armies and forces of evil, so get on with it."  
  
"The oracle I serve wishes to speak with you," Noelani replied patiently. "She has been waiting for you. Come with me." Noelani stood. Her confidence showed that she fully believed they would cooperate, as if they always would.  
  
Viktor raised his eyes up to look at her face. As he did so her face lost its detached expression and some flicker of sadness entered her eyes. Her eyes swayed to the candle on the table.   
  
She seemed familiar. And why not go along. Maybe there was something interesting to gain... or money to be had.  
  
Flik seemed to have the same thoughts as he mumbled to Viktor, "Well, why not see what they have to say. Could be of interest." He then looked up towards the ceiling in a message to Viktor meaning, should we go upstairs to our room and get our weapons? Viktor's mouth curled with indecision.   
  
"Let's go," Noelani said. Flik shrugged at Viktor, covertly showing him the magical rune on his hand. Viktor smiled.  
  
"Lead on."  
  
________________________________________  
  
They followed Noelani past the huts of the island of Ikavah, uphill to the foot of the mountain. Everywhere they went there were children playing and men and women singing songs of long ago times. Some people stared at the strange foreigners as they followed the oracle's emissary, but mostly they went unnoticed.   
  
They entered the stately domain of the oracle, a square open to the elements with a few poles on which fruits were hung. Bees whirred around some of the fruit, and huge butterflies lazily surfed the air past them.  
  
Two men held the oracle's upper arms as they helped her sit down before them as they entered. "Ahh, two pilgrims," came her rich voice. A thin silver robe covered her golden skin which stretched across her bulk. Her eyes were dark and cat-like.   
  
"Welcome to Ikavah." The two men brought the guests glasses of some kind of fruity smelling alcohol, which were refused.  
  
"You are not the kinds to give much care to pleasantries," the oracle said. "So let me show you why I've brought you here."  
  
Two more men were summoned to help the oracle stand. On their arms, she walked to the wide overlook from above the town. Flik and Viktor, although both questioning how the people here knew so much about them, followed and peered over. There, in the square below, two men were being led to poles stuck in the ground. At each corner of the square were four burning torches. The men were tied to the poles, their foreheads lashed to the wood so their throats were exposed.   
  
"They are to be sacrificed to the fire god, to save the rest of us," the oracle said. "Every day Queen Haukea's advisors demand more sacrifice."  
  
Flik and Viktor watched grimly as the men were led to their deaths. They made no noise or attempt to escape. Priests and priestesses standing at the sides of the square began to sing a song to alert the god of the sacrifice's coming. A drum was beaten, echoing through the town.  
  
"These men, though part of the government, are upstarts against the monarchy, trying to remove corruption. Part of a quiet resistance that so far has been futile," Noelani said, though turned away from the spectacle below. "They were supposedly chosen randomly for supplication to the gods but in reality were carefully selected."  
  
"What kind of corruption?" Flik asked.  
  
"From the Queen's priest. He is called Maleko. He claims to follow the demands of the fire god, but in truth, he only cares for his own ambitions. He wants to take over Ikavah and then conquer the surrounding islands. If he does this, he will not stop there."  
  
As the two foreigners watched, a man carrying two torches suspended from a rope in each hand twirled the fire around and around before the two doomed men. His twirling carved a red figure eight pattern into the air, as the singing grew louder and the drumming faster.  
  
"He will kill the Queen," said Noelani, "and she is but 14 years old. Then he will plunge this entire hemisphere into war. You of all people should know what will happen then."   
  
Two priests ran towards the restrained men. Flik made a move to leap down from their position over the square in a desperate attempt to stop the sacrifice. He was too late as the two men were slain with incredible speed, their throats cut. The oracle hissed, "They will kill you too if you try anything!" The drums were beating faster than ever. Suddenly they stopped.   
  
"Just why should we help you?" Flik demanded. "If you know so much about us, don't you know we're tired of constantly fighting!"   
  
"You will help," the oracle said. "For many reasons. But the first one is, your sword has been put to sleep. The only way to awaken it is to follow my instructions, and if you do not awaken it, the sword will be spoiled for its future wielders. Go back to your inn and see. Then depart for the outlands, and return with as many comrades in arms you think you will need to destroy this menace to peace."  
  
________________________________  
  
"She wouldn't say how the sword was cursed, only that it had something to do with the island itself. We came back here to get help," Viktor finished. "This sword's fate is beyond any of us . . ." Viktor paused and glanced at Tir. "If we don't wake it up, those who were meant to wield it never will, and who knows how much pain and needless death that will cause."  
  
"I will stay with you, then," Oulan stated. Turning away she walked to the top of the hill above the lake while the others dispersed, talking excitedly. She stared down at her hand, where an instrument of elemental power of the earth was fixed; a rune she had found during her travels and later had attached in Two River after she'd heard of Viktor's need for help. She looked up at the water before her and murmured to herself. Her words were taken by the wind. "It seems we are always in strife against some magic or another . . . if only my strength were enough." She turned and strode back to the camp. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
After a conversation about what food, water and other supplies they had with them, they set out. Flik and Viktor had planned for six people as well as they could. The journey to Ikavah would take all the daylight they had left with few stops for rest. Tir, Gremio and Viktor were in one boat; Flik, Ayda and Oulan in another. They headed to the south of the Toran Republic, down a mucky channel into the sea. It was a bright spring day with a chill on the air; Gremio drew his cloak closer around him.   
  
The paddlers did not have to work so hard, as both the current and the wind were on their side. Ayda began softly humming to herself; a song she had learned in South Window. As they paddled, Flik and Viktor began to silently compete with each other over who was out in front and leading, without actually admitting to themselves they were doing so. Oulan thought about what would happen if she had to use her rune. Tir just paddled, watching his companions with interest. Gremio almost asked more questions about what they were to expect, but he forced them back down and out of his thoughts.  
  
Early on in their journey, they reached the end of the channel and were washed into the sea, an expanse of blue so far gone to the horizon that those who had never seen it before were struck with awe. A rich blue met their eyes as the clouds above created sapphire shadows over the water. The sun sparkled down into the playful waves. Flik and Viktor gave them some time to rest and exclaim over the new sight, but soon they were on their way again.   
  
After resting for a time or two to watch when schools of dolphin were near or some other oddity of the sea, they were nearing their journey's end. All had removed their warmer garments as the heat from the sun and their labor increased. Twilight toyed with the coming of darkness.   
  
Soon enough, Flik spotted the shore; a distinct red mass of land lay before them, colored by the sun.  
  
"Not too much longer now," he said.  
  
Viktor said nothing and paddled harder from a store of strength he hadn't revealed before then. Flik narrowed his eyes and paddled faster. Their boats slid through a break in the natural barrier of coral into the flat calm of the port. In the light of the drooping sun, the land was illuminated by a bright westering twilight that dipped the edges of the shore in red. Ayda shivered with the beauty of the island before her. She watched curiously as children who had been playing on the beach were summoned back home, and fishermen and women gathered their tools to meet inside for the evening meal.  
  
Finally, as they drew closer to the shore, Viktor and Flik relaxed and placed their oars in the bottom of the boats.   
  
"What are you d-doing?" Gremio prompted.   
  
"You can all take it easy now," Viktor said. Even as he spoke the boats began to turn by themselves. The rest of the paddlers put their useless oars down. Ayda leaned over the side of the boat and peered into the water. She watched as the current turned into a swirling whirlpool of all different directions, which suddenly stopped, and then changed into a froth as the current strained in one direction.   
  
The boats were being drawn towards the docks. As they closed the distance to the shore, Ayda could hear tiny voices, laughing as if in the foam of the sea.   
  
"What is this strange magic?!" she wondered aloud.  
  
"Welcome to Ikavah!" a voice from the shore bellowed. More voices joined him. They were all welcoming, in recognition of the foreign ships that the spirits of the water had favored by towing them in to the shore.  
  
"It's a true tourist trap," Flik explained when they were docked, standing on the pier. The sun was setting over the water and fireflies were playing about them. So were mosquitoes. "The little spirits in the water guide all foreign boats to the shores in a spirit of welcome." Flik slapped at his knee. "Ugh. You could have the best armor in Rockaxe and not escape these beasts."  
  
"Amazing," Ayda said, staring out over the sea and into the sunset, which seemed to swallow the entire sky. Viktor drew her out of her stupor by roughly thrusting her quiver and bow of arrows into her stomach. Ayda was knocked back a step.  
  
"Oof," she said, giving him an irritated look.  
  
"Let's get going. There's a lot more to see."  
  
"Now where would such a rogue assembly be off to in such a mad rush?" A voice asked. Everyone turned to see a man standing at the edge of the shore, accompanied by a retinue of assistants, with his hands in his pockets. His expression was of profound disinterest.   
  
"Shu!" Flik said, shouldering a pack. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Pearls, if you must know," Shu said. "And honey. Something about the bees here." Shu waved his assistants off. They departed to begin his specified trading arrangements with the local dealers.   
  
"May I invite you all to my room at the inn," Shu said. "They take very good care of people here."  
  
"That would be excellent," Flik said.   
  
"It is good to see you here, Shu," said Ayda, grinning. Gremio and Tir were introduced. They were both intrigued to learn that Shu had been a student of Mathiu.  
  
"Though not a very successful one, I should say," Shu followed up. "But please follow me to the inn, before these insects bleed us all dry."  
  
"Did you notice how quiet the island is?" Viktor asked Shu as they walked. They trod up a sandy path towards the inn. Children ran by them, their laughter echoing against the trees, as they raced each other towards home and the evening meal.  
  
"Yes," Shu said. "Even as we approached the docks, I could hear no singing as is typical of Ikavah. It's very strange."  
  
"The kids seem to be in high spirits," Flik said as he dodged a pair who flew by him, carrying small bags of shells and trinkets from the beach. They reached the edge of the town where things were very quiet. Torches were burning brightly along the path, which had become wider now. The inn loomed before them, one of the only stone structures on the island, built to accommodate foreign travelers in the style they were accustomed to.  
  
Shu led them inside, where they found a brightly lit lobby. The innkeeper made many exclamations of excitement at seeing Shu and his guests, and led them all to their own rooms. After securing their baggage and washing up, they all met back in a large dining room decorated with brightly dyed tapestries on the walls, mostly of reds and blues. A small band sat in one corner, informally playing music for the guests. They sat down to a distinctively island-themed meal of neverending fruit and delicious seafood. After being assured that the guests were satisfied and had no want for anything further, the innkeeper withdrew his assistants and left the group to themselves. Finally able to speak freely, Flik and Viktor took the opportunity to fill Shu in on what their purpose was in traveling to the island.  
  
"Oh, my friends," said Shu even as Flik gave him the last details, "then you will be dejected to hear the princess has already died."  
  
"Oh, no!" said Ayda. "What happened?"  
  
"One of my traders came to me during the meal, I'm sure you noticed him. He told me no one was trading, because the entire island was mourning the recent passing of Princess Haukea."  
  
"I-I guess we were too late," Gremio said. "Does this mean her advisor will take over as the island's only leader?"  
  
"In time, it may mean that," Shu said. "A period of seven days of grieving is typically observed here, while the government regroups, and as in this case, investigates the death of the regent. Princess Haukea died mysteriously, as I'm sure you'd have guessed, and for now it will be looked into. I'm not sure, however, that anyone will ever find out the truth."  
  
"Flik and I should go visit the oracle right now," Viktor said.   
  
"I'm afraid that's impossible," a woman's voice told him from the door. It was Noelani, dressed in white, filling the gloom near the doorway with light. Her sword was gone, and in its place was a torch, which she hung on the wall. "I heard you were here, and I was sent to see that you were informed of what's happened. But now the oracle is preparing the princess for burial in the custom of her family. You may meet with her tomorrow if you like."  
  
"This is the Noelani of which you spoke, Viktor?" Oulan asked.  
  
"This is she, yes," Viktor replied. Introductions were made, and even Shu had not yet met the newcomer. Noelani would say no more, but the group of travelers agreed to meet with the oracle in the morning as Noelani had asked. She left them hurriedly, to perform sudden errands in the dark after the government coup. After she'd gone, before anyone could start debating what had happened, Ayda quickly said she was tired from rowing all day and she was ready to sleep. She excused herself from the table and left the room, where she found the innkeeper waiting to she her to her room.   
  
"What's this on the pillow?" Ayda asked him. She picked up the small sprig of sharp green leaves with one large white flower in the center. In the middle of its petals were powdery yellow stamen.  
  
"It's queen's leaf," he responded. "Every room has it. Just put it to your nose and sniff. Soon you'll drift away to peaceful sleep. Breakfast begins at seven. Goodnight." He shut her door. Ayda took his suggestion, and brought the flower to her nose. The smell was like old sugary candy, and soon Ayda crawled under the sheets and quickly fell asleep.  
  
--  
  
Viktor quietly entered his room as cautiously as he had entered every corner of the island, knowing there could be assassins anywhere. Finding the room to be empty, he went to the bed, and tossed away the bit of queen's leaf. The maid would get it later. He pulled off his shoes and sank into the surprisingly comfortable pallet in the center of the room. The night was warm and Viktor pulled his shirt up over his head, threw it into a corner, then hit his pillow a few times to fluff it out.   
  
Footsteps in the hall. Viktor listened. Silently a figure slipped inside his room and to the edge of his bed. As the door closed behind her a pair of eyes in the dark of the hall unseen, watched, glittering.   
  
"Just close your eyes," the intruder whispered, taking both feet off the floor as she swung into the bed, leaning over him, running her tattooed fingers through his dark hair.   
  
"Only if you close yours," he murmured. The last thing he saw as eyelashes flickered downwards was the closing of his own hand around the smooth bedsheet. 


	4. Chapter Four

The Sleeping Sword: Chapter Four  
  
The next morning was like any other; Viktor awoke alone. His eyes flickered open in the drab light of the room. She was gone, had slipped out as Viktor slept at some point in the night. Quickly Viktor dressed and, running his hands through his hair, opened the door of his room. There stood Gremio and Tir, staring into Oulan's room with the door wide open.  
  
"Morning," Viktor said. Tir and Gremio turned to face him. Gremio's brows were furrowed in consternation. Tir was looking at his feet.   
  
"What's going on?" Viktor asked.  
  
"Oulan has left, apparently," Gremio said. "There's no sign of her anywhere, and her room is empty. "  
  
"What?!" Viktor pushed past them to look for himself. Oulan's bed hadn't even been slept in. There was still a single bough of the queen's flowers on her pillow.   
  
"I don't understand..." He stared at the flowers. "Maybe it's not to late to catch her? Where did she go?"  
  
Tir and Gremio were silent.   
  
_______________________________  
  
"She's hours ahead," Flik decided as the rest of the companions met later. They stood in the seabreeze of the rooftop patio at the inn. Flik had his back to the sun while the others shielded their eyes in the dazzling light. "We'll never catch her. Two fishermen on the island's shore reported seeing a woman with red hair board a boat with Shu late last night. "  
  
"At least she is safe, then," Ayda said. Forlornly she smoothed her hair back with her hand.  
  
Flik held out a piece of paper to Tir. "This is a message from the oracle." He paced as Tir read it carefully.  
  
"This says the priest who murdered the princess and put your sword to sleep is in the volcano near the capital city of this island," Tir told the rest. He handed the paper back to Flik. "Noelani is to accompany us as our guide."  
  
Ayda put a hand to her hip. "Oh," she said, looking Flik in the eye. "I guess we have a replacement already, well fine." Her confidence faltered as she saw the look he gave back to her.  
  
"Collect your things, let's get going," Flik said, turning as he marched down the steps, with Viktor slowly following. Flik let go of the paper. It fluttered in the wind, flew out towards the cliffs beyond and disappeared. Ayda watched it go as it alighted towards their destination, a volcano that had hefted itself up into the sky. Even from this distance, Ayda's eyes teared at the thought of the heat it appeared to be giving off from its ashen grey top. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and started after Flik, leaving Gremio and Tir on the porch to their quiet debating.  
  
______________________  
  
Under green fronds and coiling vines they trekked together towards the volcano's entrance. The mountain had once been a small city when the people here now had first arrived at this island, but they had no warning of the volcanic disaster that would strike bare years later. This first major setback against the island's new inhabitants prompted them to continually worship the god of fire whose anger caused them so much grief years ago. Other parts of the story, including a hero who had guided the remaining people to a new place to survive and eventually prosper, were told to the newcomers by Noelani as they walked the narrow paths through the jungle, which pawed and poked at them with burr and briar. No breeze relieved them of the heat, and the air was heavy to breathe.  
  
"There," Noelani said, seeing some invisible sign as she stopped in the middle of another tale. "We're close to our campsite for the evening."  
  
"I hope they have water," Ayda said. "I've drank almost all of mine." Noelani waited on a wider part of the trail as the rest went by her, Ayda at the end.   
  
"Here, let me see," Noelani told her. Ayda shrugged and handed her the canteen. Noelani shook it gently.   
  
"Well, there's enough here to drink and wash up later if you want," Noelani told her. Ayda narrowed her eyes.   
  
"What are you talking about?" Ayda grabbed the canteen away and it sloshed heavily in her hand. She looked up into Noelani's serene face. "I could have sworn . . . did you switch them?"  
  
"Come on, we better catch up," Noelani told her, turning.  
  
"You're not even sweating . . ." the young girl said, and she grabbed the middle of her simple beaded shirt and pulled it away, flapping it a few times to create a breeze. "Just something else heavy to carry," she told the rocks at her feet, and trounced on.  
  
They had walked most of the afternoon away when they reached another fork in the road. Instead of choosing one way, Noelani went between them on an unseen path.   
  
Tir and Gremio laughed. "That's an old trick!" Gremio yelled after her when she disappeared into the thicket. As they all followed, they found a comfortable place ahead to sleep for the night, with someone there already preparing a meal. Other tents surrounded a fire ahead of them.  
  
"This is a secret encampment for those of us in the resistance against the corruption in the government," Noelani told them.  
  
"Please, let me help with the food! I brought my spices along . . . if that's all right, Young Master," Gremio said, and at Tir's nod, he dashed off to the campfire.  
  
"Find somewhere to rest for the night," Noelani said. "I'll be back in a little while."   
  
After they set up their own camp, most of the evening passed slowly. Flik and Viktor seemed uninterested in talking or anything else, Ayda soon discovered, so she convinced Tir to escape their moodiness and explore the large hidden area they were in while they waited for Noelani and Gremio to return.   
  
They set out in search of a stream to fill their canteens, and found more than they could have imagined. A small rainbow lit the spray from a thunderously loud waterfall like something out of a dream. As they approached the hidden place, their voices lowered to a whisper in the presence of something so awesome. The water fell from fifty feet above into a slate colored pool at their feet.   
  
"Can you believe it," Ayda said. They had found a place behind the falling water where they could stand, and extend their arms so it fell into their hands. They were only a few feet above the pool but they couldn't see any further than the sheet of water before them.   
  
"I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful," Tir said, hands extended. Ayda looked over and spied the rune in his hand. Tir caught himself and pulled back from the water, looking sideways at Ayda.  
  
"Sorry to stare . . ." She walked behind him and left the ledge, dizzy from the intense roar of the water. Tir followed.  
  
"It's all right. I'm used to it . . . I mean, used to it being there, I guess," he said. They stood in the grass a moment, until Ayda began to giggle.   
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Oh," she said. "Let's go swimming!" She ran for the pool, untwisting her braids and pulling off her shoes as she ran. Tir had to laugh, as she seemed to lose all restraint like a child running wild. As Tir watched, she ran down the bank and a sock flew up into the air.  
  
"Come on!" She yelled, and plunged into the clear water. The day's sweat and weariness left her immediately. She floated on her back in the still pool. A dragonfly landed on her nose and she coughed and sputtered to her feet. Tir laughed again, and after removing his shoes and shirt, jumped in after her.  
  
"Gremio wouldn't even recognize me now," Tir told Ayda after the splash fighting had ended. Ayda was now walking up to the back of the waterfall again, and Tir watched her shadow behind the falling water. Suddenly she dove out and into the pool below. She plunged below the surface, where sounds were muffled, and she opened her eyes as she began to swim upward to the surface. It was then that she saw something fast and deadly dart past her in the water, and her eyes widened as she realized what it was.   
  
An arrow. Panicked, she kicked to the surface and as she reached it she cried out, "Tir!" But he was already swimming towards her, no expression on his face. He reached her and they made for the shore, hearing another arrow fly by them. It stuck into a little grove of mushrooms on the ground. They hid under the shadows of a small grove of gnarled trees. Needles bit their bare feet, but neither seemed to notice.  
  
"Whoever it is, he is shooting from above us," Ayda told Tir.   
  
"He must be at the top of the waterfall," he responded. "If he comes down here though, we're in trouble." They heard a heavy splash, and then another.   
  
"Two of them!" Ayda whispered.  
  
"Run, now!" Tir hissed, and they dashed back to the camp.  
  
______________________________  
  
Viktor mulled over his thoughts as he sat back at the camp, waiting for dinner. But his thoughts were distracted. The tinny HRING, HRING of Flik ritually sharpening his sword was making Viktor a little crazier every day.   
  
"Are you sure it needs to be so sharp?" he asked Flik.  
  
"If yours needs to talk, mine needs to be sharp," Flik answered simply. HRING, HRING. HRI... He stopped.   
  
"Did you hear something?" Flik asked.  
  
"Hmm," Viktor said, narrowing his eyes in the sunlight. "Here come Tir and Ayda. They're both drenched... Ayda's hair is a mess... Tir is stripped to the waist... and they haven't got shoes on."  
  
"Hmmmm . . . indeed." Flik responded, and with a final HRING, sheathed his sword.  
  
Tir saw them and yelled for them. "We're being attacked!"  
  
"Well what the hell else is new!" Viktor yelled back, and as Tir and Ayda caught up, ran with Flik for the center of the encampment to warn the others.  
  
An alarm was raised, and most of the inhabitants of the camp ran for a pre-arranged cave for their safety.   
  
"I'm sure we were followed," Tir told the little gathering of defenders. "They must have heard us swimming."  
  
"I'm so sorry," Ayda said, looking down. "I've put everyone in danger."  
  
"All right, no time for that now," Noelani said. "They were surely scouts of the high priest. We will have to -- have to capture them."  
  
A strange man road up on a horse at a trot, leading another by the bridle. He wore a simple vest and pants cut off at the knee and looked as if he had been surviving alone in the wilds for weeks. He was bald and had keen black eyes that looked down on them from his seat.   
  
"Noelani, let's go," he said. His voice boomed, matching his apparent physical power.   
  
"This is Ojo," Noelani said. She swung up onto the horse Ojo had brought. "Introductions later. Stay here!" They galloped away.   
  
"Don't they need help?" Ayda asked.   
  
"No," Viktor said. "They don't want us involved."  
  
"Why not?"   
  
"They intend to kill the scouts," Viktor said simply.   
  
"Because they don't want them revealing the location of this camp," Tir explained to Ayda. She stared at him in revulsion. "It's not your fault . . ." But Tir could already see Ayda was crushed.  
  
Gremio rushed up. "Young Master! I've found you at last. What have you done with your clothes?" 


End file.
